Fill in the Blanks

The author mentioned in this sentence believes that businessmen are models of some quality; whatever qualities they may lack implies that whatever bad points they possess; there’s this one particular good thing about them. The best possible choice that fits our prediction is (1) — if an author's main characters are businessmen and if they're all paragons of ingenuity (meaning inventively talented), one could easily lead to the presumption that the author thinks all businessmen are clever. Hence, (1) is the answer.

The clue for the first blank is found in the latter part of the sentence as this is an explanation to the first part. “Pushed up” and “accumulated a mass” signifies that a volcano built a mountain, and not collapsed, as we would have thought. As ‘built’ is one of our options, hence, (4) is the answer. ‘Forged’ in option (5) is to form or shape (metal) with blows or pressure from a hammer, press, or other machine, usually after heating; which is not coherent with volcanoes building up a mountain.

“Ennobling” means to give a noble quality to, thus this is in tandem with noblest and hence replaces the first blank. Moreover, “improve” gives sense to the sentence when replaced with second blank. Hence, (4) is the answer.

Out of all the options for the first blank; ‘glibly’ is the only word that substantiates the first blank as the clue is given by forward or backward in the sentence. Checking the sentence for the second blank, ‘extravagant’ gives a coherent meaning to the whole sentence thereby confirming that (2) is the answer.

Inference (good temper would be means of bad temper and indifference). Of (1), (2) and (4); “phlegmatic” (meaning impassive, tiresome, cold) in option (2) serves as a coherent adjective to apathy thereby giving cogent meaning to the phrase. Hence, (2) is the answer.

“But” sets up the contrast between what precedes it and what follows it. This implies that earlier, he was fond of drinking, but he abstains it now. The only option that is similar in meaning to abstain is “abjures” in (3). Hence, option (3) is the correct answer.

The correct answer is 'me' because it functions as the object of the preposition 'to'. In the sentence 'The victim turned out to be me,' 'me' is a predicate pronoun following the linking verb 'to be'. In formal grammar, the subject complement should be in the objective case when it refers to the object.

The correct answer is 'me' because it's the object of the preposition 'for' in 'for Binod and me'. When a pronoun is part of a compound object, it must be in the objective case (me rather than I).

The correct answer is 'I' because it's part of the subject 'Charlene and I' performing the action of handling. Subject pronouns must be used in subject position. The easy way to check is to remove the other person: 'I am handling' is correct.

The correct answer is 'his' because it's a possessive pronoun standing alone as the object of 'to' - 'We objected to his taking all the credit'. The construction uses the possessive form with a gerund (taking) to indicate whose action is being objected to.

The correct answer is 'I' because it's part of the subject compound 'He and I' connected by 'are'. Subject pronouns are required in subject position. Test by removing 'He' - 'I am cousins' (with 'are') shows the correct form.

The correct answer is 'We' because it's the subject of the sentence 'We managers must assume a leadership role'. 'We' is a subject pronoun, while 'Us' is an object pronoun. Subject pronouns must be used when the pronoun is performing the action or being described.

The correct answer is 'him and me' because both pronouns are objects of the preposition 'without' in 'without him and me'. Object pronouns (him, me, them, us) must be used after prepositions. This is a compound object.

Each is a singular pronoun, so it requires the singular possessive its, not the plural their. The phrase each of the books refers to the books individually, making its the correct choice.

Before a gerund (worrying), use the possessive form their. The phrase their worrying is the object of the verb stop, and the pronoun modifying the gerund must be possessive.